The Emperor’s New Fee
June 12, 2010
Just when you thought Steve Wynn was above the hi-jinx of his less elite peers …
Wynn and Encore Hotel and Casino
Wynn and Encore Hotel and Casino
Yesterday, both Wynn Las Vegas and the Encore Las Vegas began implementing a $20/night “resort fee”.
What does the “resort fee” include?
Apparently, it gets you the following:
- In-room Internet Access
- Local Phone Calls
- Use of the fitness center
- The ability to print your boarding pass at the hotel
Oddly enough, what it does not get you, is entrance to the new Encore Beach Club. That will still run you $70/day for a husband and wife combo.
This latest move also means that, were I to check into the Wynn tomorrow, I would personally be paying an extra $20 for absolutely nothing.
I have a cellphone, I have my own wireless internet connection, I don’t use fitness centers, and I can print my boarding pass in any number of inexpensive places. Even if I did want the pass printed at the end of my stay, why would I be charged each night? Whether I stay one night or ten nights, I’m only flying home once.
Supposedly, resort fees are not subject to room taxes, so in addition to gouging you, the customer, with an unexpected fee … Steve will also have to remit less of your dollars to the LVCVA. This may or may not be the only positive aspects of the entire situation.
Now, I’ve been over the resort fee issues many times before. Whether it was Stations or the M Resort (who has since done away with the fee), I have railed against them ad-nauseum since the day I started blogging. I’ve always felt that they were among the very worst practices of our local properties … even more wrong and insidious than 6:5 Blackjack.
They are deceitful, contemptuous of the customer, and have no place in a city which is so heavily dependent on public relations as is Las Vegas. Hell, they are so bad that even Harrah’s got rid of them and proudly advertises as much.
Just how bad does a source of income have to be for Harrah’s beancounters to publicly distance themselves from it?
Pretty goddamn bad, that’s how bad.
This latest move by Wynn also means that we are still very much a city of fine print.
“Welcome to Camp Vegas … What Happens Here Stays Here*”
*As long as what happens here does not involve consensual sex for money, contact with strippers, drug use, or anything you can’t do in South Bend, Indiana.
Ripping you off has now become our #1 priority, and you better read your hotel reservation terms and conditions with the same magnifying glass you used to reserve for your extended warranty from Best Buy.
Yes, that is how bad things have gotten in this town, and they are probably about to get worse.
Steve Wynn is to Las Vegas what Steve Jobs is to the tech world. Love the guy or hate the guy, almost everyone here watches what he does closely, and they take his cues as to how to proceed. This new revelation by Wynn means that we are probably likely to see a whole new wave of resort fees city-wide, or at the very least … the fees that already exist are definitely here to stay.
When my own guests come in from out of town, the Wynn is actually one of the more frequent hotels at which they stay. I personally altered my own behavior at the property many years ago when the tip-stealing scheme began (in particular, I nearly cut out my table gaming at the property), but despite the jokes and metrosexual ribbing, the rooms have always come highly recommended by yours truly. The property is very convenient to Rexville, the room rates were pretty reasonable for the overall quality, and the complaints I have heard from my own visitors are few and far between.
Now … I don’t know. It appears as though even that recommendation will need to be re-assessed. For a two night stay, an extra $40 for nothing is more than a little insulting. It seems as though even the mighty have fallen to new lows.
For once, I don’t have anything particularly smart-assed to say about Steve Wynn or his latest move.
I’m just disappointed.
Written by wbeem on June 12, 2010 at 12:49 am
This shit pisses me off. One of the things I liked about staying at Encore was that the advertised room rate was actually the room rate. Not anymore. Every time I find a favorite place in Las Vegas, the people who run it come up with reasons to make me not want to give them any more business.
Written by jay on June 12, 2010 at 12:52 am
I am dissappointed by this move by Wynn. It clearly Cheapens his hotel and name value. I am also saddend by his dopey move to build the Beach club. He is merely copying the Hardrock and Wynn is known to innovate, not copy! This whole Beach club crowd and paying $40 or more will die out and be a fad. I never thought Wynn to be someone who copies, he was always an innovator, boy how times have changed. Now he does a silly Resort FEE too? Wynn is no more THE place to stay, but merely another place to stay in Vegas. Very sad to see Steve and the Wynn Corp. stoop to this new low. I guess he has to answer to SHAREHOLDERS, especially since he doenst even own that much of his own stock anymore. Mr. Okada is blah to this too!!!
Written by George on June 12, 2010 at 12:58 am
I’m with you 100% on this and against any sort of “hidden” fees no matter what the type of business.
Still don’t agree with you on the “tip stealing” though, which I see as the equivalent of requiring a waitress to tip out her busboy and cook.
Written by gaveuponvegas on June 12, 2010 at 1:22 am
So of course I know they’re jobbing the tax laws, but what specifically prevents them from taking it all the way and offering free rooms with a $119/night resort fee? Just curious.
Written by ChuckReis on June 12, 2010 at 1:25 am
Does this not include the testies storage?
Written by keith on June 12, 2010 at 1:32 am
i always wondered why they tack on resort fees, other than to jack up the pric another few bucks, unbeknownst to most guests –
the resort fee is tax free.
personally i have no idea how that is legal – they are providing a paid “service” to their customers – how to they get away without being taxed on it? (yeah, i know the probable answer – some lobbyists got it thru the state senate or some other scheme)
it’s getting fucking sickening how they keep gouging and gouging, and our only recourse is either don’t go, find a hotel without the resort fees, or BOHICA(*)
(*) – Bend Over, Here It Comes Again
Written by Koala on June 12, 2010 at 1:47 am
Just another reason to bypass what used to be my favourite city in the USA.
Written by BigRedDogATL on June 12, 2010 at 1:54 am
I guess the accountants at Wynn Resorts finally got it through to Steve that he had to start generating more revenue in order to pay the mortgage and pay the big bucks to Garth Brooks.
It’s funny that I can get all of the Wynncore ‘resort fee’ services for FREE, plus get a FREE breakfast at a 3 star Hampton Inn a few blocks away but have to pay an extra $20/night (plus tax) for them at a 5 star “resort”. It makes me appreciate the Hampton Inn that much more.
Written by toastcmu on June 12, 2010 at 3:05 am
What’s even worse about the “resort fee” crap is that while it is tax-free, the companies that charge them make even more money off people since they turn around and charge tax on their resort fee. Crazy as it seems, Harrah’s properties could feasibly be the only ones on the strip without these f&&*n fees soon. If only they would improve their crapjack as well.
Written by blueboar on June 12, 2010 at 3:18 am
What’s quite interesting is that it seems that the hotels do not have to pay tax on the resort fees. Yet many, if not most, do charge their customers tax on those very same fees. And then just pocket it. Pretty good scam they’ve got going.
It seems they’re not content on just gouging their customers an extra 20 bucks a night and providing nothing of value for that $20, but they aren’t even content with that. Nope, they tell the customer there’s tax on the resort fee and then pocket the extra $2.40. Steve must be desperate to cover his Grecian Formula and Denture Cream bills.
Written by Kid Dynamite on June 12, 2010 at 3:21 am
resort fees are a numbers scam to boost the plummeting Vegas REVPAR (revenue per available room)… Bait and switch with cheaper headline numbers that get juiced by mandatory fees. gross. I was at a Sheraton in Chicago, and the fine print on the bill said you could opt out of the free daily newspaper delivery and get 75c back on your bill! THAT is reasonable at least. Give people a way out!
what i’m curious about is the tax – Venetian/Palazzo charges tax on the resort fee (I THINK)
Written by Team Valtrex on June 12, 2010 at 4:06 am
The worst part of this whole thing is that Wynn PR said they did it to “enhance your experience”. I once got kicked in the nuts while playing soccer. It didn’t “enhance the experience”.
Written by ibelvis on June 12, 2010 at 5:07 am
This is the equivalent of airline baggage fees. I can see the board room discussion ” We need to generate more revenue, we can’t increase rates in this market – hey let’s use resort fees – tax free, isn’t reflected in online room rate comparisons……. – brilliant”.
Expecting them to increase resort fees next quarter to include use of sanitized pool and breathing conditioned air.
Written by wrxrob on June 12, 2010 at 6:34 am
Koala is on point. For the last 6 years, I have visited the town at least once by June. Not this year. From an average of 2 trips per year, so far, this year is looking like a fat zero.
agreed with jay too. When a company has to please its SHAREHOLDERS, it dilutes the experience. Case in point. Ever go to Taco Bell? They were leaps and bounds better, before they were publicly traded. Anyone ever go to Chick-Fil-A? Guess what, they are privately owned. If CFA ever gets publicly traded, I can guarantee the quality will fall into the crapper.
Written by ColinFromLasVegas on June 12, 2010 at 2:27 pm
Through the past few years, there has been a trend the casinos along the Strip all perform.
They advertise when they cut hotel rates, new package rates, offer discounts, club memberships, free handouts and other things. And it gets the widest dissemination.
But when they raise rates and tack on something? It’s not advertised. It’s there though. Like in fine print down at the bottom that you have to use a microscope to bring it out in the open to read. And when you do read it, there’s like some kind of lame ass excuse why they did it.
Something like: “This rate hike is done so that VegasRex can graciously continue providing a quality blog site on the internet for people to interact, communicate and inform, thereby extending a great service not only to Las Vegas, but to humanity as a hole…er…I mean…whole.” (Sorry, Rex. You know me. I gotta throw something in there once in awhile to slam you. Keeps you motivated. Builds character too.)
Anyways, this is a constant. They do it all the time.
And what gets me is they think they are getting away with it. But everytime they do it…WHAM! The news here in Las Vegas catches it and reveals it instantly.
I guess my point is…when will they learn that this stuff is just driving tourists away and is doing more harm than good?
Written by JohnGalt1 on June 12, 2010 at 4:41 pm
I haven’t been to your ever greedy city since 2003 for a wedding. I went once or twice a year from 1988. I have credit lines at 3 casinos.
6/5 black jack, the resort fees for things I don’t use and baggage fees have kept me home to gamble at my local casinos and race tracks.
I keep hoping that we can end this by not supporting them with our business.
Call me naive.
Written by HillBilly on June 13, 2010 at 2:19 pm
I don’t think resort fees are tax free. Doesn’t matter from the hotel’s perspective. If it’s not tax free the tax would be added on top of it anyway.
What it is exempt from, and this matters a great deal, is the commision to third part reseller like Expedia, Orbitz, and Southwest. So, the great room deal I had over Memorial Day weekend would no longer be such a great deal. I actually picked Wynn over Ti and Venetian due to the resort fees at the other two.
I simply refuse to pay resort fees. I understand that might mean I end up staying in a Motel 6 but I’ve had enough. Vegas used to have some value so we put up with the Hustlers. Now, it is one giant hustle. You can’t even relax between payouts. It’s like the whole town is one giant strip club where the bouncers threaten to throw you out if you don’t buy a $10 beer every 5 minutes. I’m just sick and tired of the “give us your money and don’t bother us” attitude of this town.
Honestly, if it were not for great poker I probably wouldn’t go anymore.
Written by FleaStiff on June 13, 2010 at 5:54 pm
Go easy on the poor guy. He must be desperate.
Don’t think he doesn’t read all these blog comments about resort fees. Don’t think he is totally unaware of Harrahs new policy or have Harrahs trumpeting them almost as loudly as 6:5 blackjack.
Don’t you realize that he knows he will be offending his customers, not so much over the piddling amount of the fee itself but more over the dishonest attitude it reveals in quoting rooms.
He spoke of belt tightening… but his dealers just haven’t tightened their belts enough!
Don’t malign him. Console him. Send him a broad. One hundred a night for her company. Twenty dollars a night extra for a Keep Your Wallet fee.
Written by GuyNotes on June 15, 2010 at 7:00 pm
This is exactly what I avoided when booking for an upcoming stay. I was looking at various resorts and then noticed the fees…I noticed that harrah’s brags they have no resort fees so I am staying at one of their properties..